The Exotic Bird Infomation Blog

My bird, fiyero, is already hand trained. I want to know what to train him next. Also, his wings are clipped.
sorry, he's a keet

Well without mention of what type of bird you have makes it a bit difficult to reply with a practical answer…However, many birds are easy to interact with & enjoy such one on one time…so having your feathered one enjoy music with you is a nice enjoyable approach for both…many birds learn to replicate the words as well as the beat…so try interacting with your feathered one by using music. You will quickly learn whther your bird enjoys dancing or singing [whistling], I began teaching my cockatoo’s to play catch at a young age…eventually my feathered one would catch the lil wiffle ball & toss it back to me from his playground…as well as play with shapes & sorting boxes…teaching feathered one to come on command is also a good beginning & serves great purpose later down the line. Teaching your bird to lift its foot is a nice easy one…whether to say HI & wave or lift it for kisses…there are oodles of ways to interact with feathered ones! ENJOY spending time with your feathered one~ Take care~

powered by Yahoo answers

i have a parrot and i want that when i call him he come and sit on my hand

I've been working on this with my greenwing. He is really coming along and has picked it up very quickly. At first I couldn't get him to come. But, I finally realized that he was afraid to attempt to fly too far across the room. so, this is what i did…

I set him on his perch and took 2 steps back. I held my arm out and said 'come'…I was close enough that he could almost reach me with his beak but far enough that he actually had to jump. When he jumped from his perch to my arm I praised him BIGTIME (good bird!!!! good bird!!! scratch his head if he likes that) and gave him a small piece of peanut. I told him 'go back' and set him back on his perch. I waited until he finished his peanut btw! He didn't want to do anything until it was GONE! lol. so make sure that you give him small pieces that he can chew up quickly. Once he was comfortable going that short distance I took another step back and did the same process. We've been working on this for about a week and now I can go about 6 feet away and say 'come' and he'll fly to me. he caught on within the first session it was just a matter of getting him over the fear of flying so far. Pick a treat that he only gets when in training. I use peanuts or …gasp!….fruit loops lol But make sure that he can chew them fast! for instance I break the peanuts into 4 pcs. Also, be sure to end the training session while the your parrot is still 'interested'….you want him to think that this is game and not work. Therefore, cut the session down and quit while he is still having fun. For my greenwing the fact that I get so excited about what he is learning makes him really excited. You can see that he is proud that he pleased me and is having a great time. I made the mistake of making it seem like work the first few lessons by not stopping. He finally got tired and turned his back on me lol. 15 minute sessions are good!

Good Luck!

powered by Yahoo answers

my cockatiel can jump rope step up and step down say hi and by on signals i am look for some new stuff to teach him so brag away about what your bird can do!

cockatiels can learn to whistle the theme from Andy Griffith show real well. They Love it. I taught 4 of them to whistle it pretty much in unison. Your birds sound very able to learn.

powered by Yahoo answers

I have a hand reared tame african grey, has anybody got any tips on training him, like going back in his cage and simple tricks

All greys have different personalities so it's a case of finding out what your bird's is. Like humans you can get introverted and extroverted parrots and each need a different approach and anjoy different things. My parrot enjoys music & rhythym but also likes time alone when he gets grouchy. Using his strengths and what he likes, he now 'dances', makes up beatboxes and makes his own whistled tunes which delight visitors. He also plays a toddler toy glockenspiel when he's out of the cage as he likes the noises and starts all his own tunes with "One, two" and a bit of a beat. He's good at language too and we combine the two with singing phrases and dancing to keep up his interest.

I guess that my top tips for bird training are:

1) Establish you're top in the pecking order in a non-threatening way by appearing taller than the bird. Lower the cage slightly. This lessons power struggles and makes the bird less defensive.

2) Make the bird feel at ease in your presence by gentle introduction to him and lots of soothing talk before starting any form of training.

3) Associate simple phrases with certain actions for example my parrot responds to 'step up' onto the arm, gets back into the cage to 'time for bed' and recognises he's overstepped his mark with 'bad bird' and then puts himself in his cage! He is rewarded with a head tickle (his favourite) if he does things when asked except obviously the 'bad bird' signal when he knows he's done wrong and gets some cage time as a result.

4) Reward your parrot with praise, fuss and occasionally a small food treat

5) Make learning and playtime fun with 'outside cage' toys and treats. Learning in small doses is also best, and let him learn, master and use his new tricks/commands confidently before introducing the next. Regularly practice old routines in the proper context so that the parrot remembers them.

.. and above all be consistent. They're very intelligent and are more than capable of understanding simple requests if they are clearly made.

And above all, learning should be fun for the parrot. If he's enjoying learning new things and getting lots of praise, reward and positive reinforcement, he's likely to pick up tricks and games very quickly.

Hope this helps!
Kez

(Owner of 8 year old Charlie)

powered by Yahoo answers

My bird squawks all night long but he has everything food water and i dont know what to do… are there any tips or tricks to getting him to sleep? I cant find any books or site that will inform me of this problem.

Whenever you go to sleep, cover your bird cage up with a dark colored towel, blanket, or t-shirt – or whatever. If you want to get it into a normal sleeping habbit, you can just cover it up when it gets dark outside, which is when they would normally go to sleep in the wild. i put my birds to sleep around 9 and wake them up around 8:30. Once all the lights are turned out, it will sleep, don't worry.Giving your bird a good night’s sleep is the most important thing you can do for him…If you decide to cover the cage, be sure to use a bird-safe cover with no loose strings that can get caught on the bird's toenails, legs, or neck. u can also buy sleeping tents for birds which is available at pet stores…

Remember, the early bird gets the worm, but not if he is too tired to go after it!

powered by Yahoo answers

Did any one buy parrot training videos from like chet womach or other people?

I prefer Barbara Heidenreich's training videos. She uses positive reinforcement to teach wanted behaviors instead of forcing the birds, or flooding, which is not productive in the long run(and also cruel).
The Goodbird site has articles to read and videos for sale.
The Gabriel Foundation has some wonderful articles by Susan Friedman that are very helpful also.

powered by Yahoo answers

Parrot Training » Blog Archive » 12 Secrets To Make Your Parrot Behave

Tags: exoticbird training, parrot training, bird training, bird behavior, parrot behavior

I want to buy a 7. y.o african grey…. is he too old to teach new things?

Considering the average lifespan of an African Grey is around 50 years, he's still got some learning left in him. Just make sure to be persistent and rewarding.

powered by Yahoo answers

Please recommend me some videos or online membership site where I can learn more about how to train my pet parrot. Thanks in advance.

This is my personal favorite: http://parrotcoachingclub.pinurl.com

It's a virtual coaching club of parrot training — almost a multimedia encyclopedia with articles and videos. I like it because it's a one-stop site that saves the trouble of looking all over for specialist advice.

powered by Yahoo answers

I want a bird i can use for magic tricks. It has to be friendly and easy to train. It would be GREAT if it could talk! What species is the best?
I want a bird to perform magic with but also for a pet. I need it friendly so i can get along well with it and to be easy to train so it can perform.

That's really cool! It's good to hear that you are into magic which is really fun to watch. Parrots would be your best bet. However, they are VERY expensive and require a LIFELONG commitment on your part. I would suggest a cockatoo which is the easiest to train to talk. I would do a lot of research on different types of parrots and even visit some breeders. One thing you can do is go to BirdTalk.com which is a magazine and website for pet bird lovers and breeders. See if there is a bird fair or show around you that you could attend. This is a good way to meet breeders and learn about different types of birds. Macaws also learn to talk quite easily. Expect to pay atleast $1000 for a parrot and $300 for a good cage (and that's an avg. for a good USED cage). It is recommended that parrots have vetanarian check-ups which is another $100 a year (more if you figure in possible emergency calls). You have food,toys, and treats as well. However, the biggest thing to consider is how long they live! Parrots can live up to 100 years and most outlive their owners provided they are well taken care of. However, most don't live with the same person their whole life like they should! People don't consider life changes like moving, having families, and not having time for their parrots. Parrots get VERY attached to their owners and do get quite lonely if left alone too often. They often get so stressed they'll pull out all their feathers and become depressed. Others may become aggressive. IF YOU DO GET A PARROT, GET IT USED TO ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE FROM AN EARLY AGE! I would definitely get a baby parrot since older ones may have bad habits and may not be as trainable as you'd like. If you aren't quite ready for such a responsibility but still want a bird, how about a cockatiel? They live long as well though (up to 30 years!). However, they are much easier to care for and much cheaper as well. The males can learn to talk but not every one does. They are a bit more stubborn, in my opinon, than parrots. They will sit on your shoulder while you move around the house. However, I don't think they'd be easy to train to do tricks quite like Parrots which are so smart. I have one more suggestion! Have you thought about using another type of animal for your magic acts like a dog? Dogs can be taught so many things and could really do some amazing stuff. You could teach them to bring you certain things you need and really work them into the acts. If you want a breed that is very easy to train and gets along well with people, consider a Border Collie or Jack Russell Terrier but both require a lot of exercise! Just something to think about. People really love dogs and seeing a magician with his "AMAZING CANINE ASSISTANT" would be so cool! GOOD LUCK IN WHATEVER YOU DECIDE! I do think a dog would be best for a beginner magician. There is so much that you can teach them and they wouldn't be stubborn like birds can be. You wouldn't have to worry about the dog not wanting to do something because it's not in the mood. Most happy, well-trained dogs will do anything to please their human companions. ONCE AGAIN, BEST OF LUCK! Also, what's your magician name so I can keep an eye out for you in the future? Oh, the first guy is right. Mynahs are good mimicks but they aren't too friendly and they look like crows.

powered by Yahoo answers